1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a process for making a fabric and the improved fabric which the process produces. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method of coating a cloth with acrylic to produce a low cost but esthetically pleasing fabric with superior fire-retardent and light-impeeding properties.
2. Description of the Prior Art
An increasing number of home and commercial applications for fabric require that it have certain desirable characteristics. These characteristics include, among others, surfaces which have a uniform texture and appearance and the ability to resist fire and block light. In addition, the fabric must have a construction which minimizes the expense of manufacture.
In the past, fabric producers used materials such as acrylic to impart the characteristics outlined in the previous paragraph to inexpensive cloth made with natural or synthetic fibers. One prior method for producing a composite fabric structure includes coating one side of a cloth web with one or more coats of acrylic foam which cures into a flexible layer. Typically, the arcylic foam contains black pigment which provides a barrier to light. It may also contain flame-retardant additives.
This prior method, however, covers one surface of a cloth substrate, leaving the opposite surface exposed. Accordingly, one surface appears and feels different from the other. If the producer uses an inexpensive substrate material, the resulting fabric includes a surface of inferior feel and appearance. Thus, the product cannot serve as a self-lined drapery or a free-hanging drapery lining. If the producer uses a high quality substrate material, the resulting fabric becomes cost prohibitive.
The present invention provides a process which applies at least one layer of acrylic foam or similar material to each side of a cloth substrate to completely cover the substrate and avoid the problems of the prior method. This method is simple and suitable for high production rates. It allows the manufacturer to use inexpensive, lightweight and loosely woven cloth for the substrate. Thus, it provides a substantial reduction in the cost of manufacture, and it produces a fabric capable of blocking light. This fabric is flame-retardant, and it has surfaces with a uniform texture and appearance.